Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Rapid Hospital-Based Zika Screening Test Coming Soon

Doctors at Houston Methodist Hospital say they have developed a test to identify if a patient is positive for the Zika virus in as quickly as one day, without sending samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for diagnosis.

The Washington Post:
Texas Hospitals Announce First Quick Test For Zika That Could Help Identify When The Virus Reaches U.S.
Researchers in Houston have announced that they have developed the first hospital-based, rapid diagnostic test for Zika, an advance that they said should help public health officials identify if -- or, more likely, when -- infected mosquitoes reach the United States this summer. Using a sample of a patient's blood, urine, spinal fluid or amniotic fluid for pregnant women, the test can identify whether the DNA of the virus is present in as quickly as one day. Previously, physicians have had to ship blood or other samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and wait for a response. (Cha, 2/24)